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Monster High Wiki:Images
Since rows and rows of text make for an unappealing appearance, even if the layout is flawless, wikis make use of images to illustrate the articles and make them a more appealing read. Images thus support the article, not the other way around. An excessive amount of images on a page is not a good thing - it suggests that the contributors have no standards or clue. Other undesirable situations regarding images that could occur are uploads of images of bad quality and uploads of images that are illegally taken. Users are to know the rules regarding images as posted below. Failure to adhere to the rules will be dealt with without further words. This page also contains a guide to get or make good quality images, as well as lists some image conventions. Rules regarding images Rules regarding user images # This wiki is not anyone's personal image database. User-only images are only preserved as long as a user is active (inactivity is relative to account age and contributions). # As well, each user is allowed one user image by default. More may only be added after at least a week of sufficiently engaging with the wiki or its community. # Currently, the wiki strives for a number of user images that doesn't exceed 10% of the whole image database. Users with many user images may be ordered to give up a few if the limit is exceeded. # Do not upload and add images to pages for the sake of creating a greater allowed number of user images. # Unless for a specific layout reason or a wiki-worthy discussion, do no add images to user talk pages. # Do not add animated gifs to articles. Animated gifs may be uploaded for use on user pages, but keep in mind that they usually don't work on the wiki. # Questionable scoop material is not allowed on user and user talk pages either. # The wiki does not allow user images that are photos of people below 18 and discourages such images to be in use by older users. Rules regarding wiki images # Do not upload and add images to pages for the sake of acquiring a badge. Badge hunting is strictly forbidden. # Special circumstances aside, do not upload images you have no plan of use for. # Do not add animated gifs to articles. Animated gifs may be uploaded for use on user pages, but keep in mind that they usually don't work on the wiki. # Do not add fanart to articles. Fanart may be uploaded for use on user pages and, if relevant, on blogs only. # Images on the internet are generally not just up for grabs. Fanmade photos, especially when (water)marked, are not okay for use in an article because they'd be stolen material. Temporary uploads are okay for the sake of discussion in blogs if they deal with new or upcoming releases, but that's the limit. The wiki would appreciate not to have a reputation of being a thieves' nest. ##There is currently no system in place to regulate any fanmade photos that are contributed by or with permission from the owners. This will be made at a future date. # If you are not a regular on the wiki, do not assume you have a scoop before the regulars. Every once in a while, the wiki has to deal with uploads of fanart-mistaken-for-official-art, uploads of webisodes not out in English yet, and uploads of leaked photos. Preferably, this kind of situation is avoided, as well as situations of false information, so unless you are a regular and have the knowledge to recognize legit and legal new material from not-legit and not-legal material, please don't upload any such images. # The above rule applies not only to images on articles, but also to those on user pages, user blog pages, and user talk pages. Simply put, do not even upload questionable scoop material. # Do not upload over existing files unless you mean to upload a better quality version of that same file. You get a clear warning when you are about to upload over another file, so there is no excuse for that 'mistake'. # Please upload files under a descriptive filename. "TumblrXB57gb.JPG", "Clawdeen4.PNG" and "MazX345121212.jpeg" do not make image management any easier. A general guideline is to name an image "source - description.or jpg in lowercase letters". For instance, "Tumblr - Cleo Clawdeen fall fashion.jpg" would make a nice filename for an image taken from the Gory Gazette that displays Cleo and Clawdeen in fall-related fashion. # Do not upload entire scenes worth of images. Even the most intense scenes won't require more than, at most, three well-chosen screenshots to represent them. # Unless there is a specific focus-requirement (like screenshots for the toy sections), don't upload partial screenshots. Say, if a scene displays five characters, preferably the wiki has one screenshot of the entire scene than five broken up screenshots focussed on the separate characters. It preserves the context of the scene and makes image management five times as easy. # Before you upload an image, check if it's not already in the database. The wiki has an elaborate image database setup that should make searching not too much of a chore. A better quality file (within the same file type class) is, of course, a welcome upload. Seven different uploads of essentially the same file (see above two rules) are not. How to get a good image :Searching for images: Official images such as doll photos and artwork created by Mattel can be primarily found on the official websites. Note, though, that the social media accounts of Monster High also get uploads that are not by Mattel, but by fans. These are not fit to be uploaded on the Monster High Wiki. Always check that there is no reason to assume an image on an official channel is not official itself - if in doubt, don't upload. :More worthwhile sites to check out are Monster High websites in other countries, specifically all the country-specific variations of the main website. Many of them have their own layout and content and thus may contain material not available on the USAmerican main site. :Similar advice also goes for fansites. Fansites in other countries may be in possession of official material that is not available among the English sources. Principally, official material does not belong to the fans that have it, as it belongs to Mattel and is thus fit for wiki upload. However, sometimes fans put in effort to create a good quality version of the image, in which case, if the source is traceable, permission should be asked before uploading the image on the Monster High Wiki. :How to get the best version of an image: If a wiki-appropriate image is found, but the image is not of great quality, there is a simple way to find out if a better version is available. Take the image URL and copy and paste it into google. Select "search by image". This gets google to search for the specified image and all of its pixel and byte variations. Next, select the option for the biggest size versions available and select the best one. :However, keep in mind that size is defined by the number of pixels, not bytes. An image that is counted as large because of its pixels but that has not (significantly) more byte content than a smaller image is just the same image artificially inflated. The 'bigger' image is not any more interesting than the smaller image. In fact, it might be even less interesting, because a 'big' image like that was altered from another and thus saved one time more. Whenever an image is saved as any file but a 24-bit Bitmap, data is lost. Thus, an artificially inflated image contains less data than the original smaller version. This makes the smaller version the preferable one. :How to make a good screenshot: This section's advice is aimed primarily at making sceenshots of the cartoon, but can be used for screenshots of other content as well. It assumes possession of Microsoft Paint or a similar (simple) program. :1) To make a screenshot, hit the PrtScrn button in the highest row on the keyboard. This will make a screenshot of the entire screen, from which the cartoon can be cut. In the newest versions of Microsoft Paint, there's an option called "crop" that reduces the screenshot to only the selected area. Users with older versions will have to manually get rid of the extra screen on all four sides. :2) If a screenshot is taken from a webisode or TV special uploaded on YouTube, there is the nuissance that if paused, the progression bar thickens and partially goes over the image. One could download the cartoon entry to avoid that, or try timing the moment of hitting the PrtScrn button as the cartoon entry plays. It may take a few efforts, but usually makes for a good result. Also, try to actually aim for the best moment to take a screenshot, which is a moment in which interpretation of the screenshot does not require knowledge of the movement in the scene and which has all the characters (or as many as possible) in the scene with open eyes and mouths that aren't open. :3) Make sure the image is clean of extra imagery. Few things are more ugly than a screenshot in which the mouse is visible and progression bars of YouTube or video programs also are not an appealing sight. Normally, this means only to avoid getting extra imagery in the screenshot, but sometimes extra imagery cannot be avoided because they're part of the offering. While primarily images uploaded should be in a state closest to what is officially given, minor cosmetic corrections that do not affect the content of the image are okay and sometimes even encouraged. (Though in case of the YouTube advertisement button, the most effective solution is to select the largest screen size, screencap it, then use the pixel downsize option to get a size close to 640 × 360 pixels (do not alter the relative proportions), and then save and upload the image.) Image conventions * Stockphotos are favorably uploaded with a height of 750px. * Profile art is favorably uploaded with a height of 750px. * Icons are favorably uploaded with a size of 250px x 250px. * Both .png and .jpg are acceptable file types, provided they are lower case. .jpg is heavily preferred though. * Name images something along the line of "source/context - description.or jpg in lowercase letters". Photo donations There is currently no system in place that allows users to upload their own photos for wiki use without being suspected of stealing the image. One will be implemented at an unknown date in the future. I